A top Vatican official has condemned so-called gender ideology, specifically gender-confirming surgery, as “a Luciferian refusal” of God’s will and has endorsed the Vatican’s ban on gay priests.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said in an interview regarding his new book:

“In this book, however, I want to suggest to Western people that the real cause of this refusal to claim their inheritance and this refusal of fatherhood is the rejection of God. From Him we receive our nature as man and woman. This is intolerable to modern minds. Gender ideology is a Luciferian refusal to receive a sexual nature from God. Thus some rebel against God and pointlessly mutilate themselves in order to change their sex. But in reality they do not fundamentally change anything of their structure as man or woman. The West refuses to receive, and will accept only what it constructs for itself. Transhumanism is the ultimate avatar of this movement. Because it is a gift from God, human nature itself becomes unbearable for western man.”

Asked about gay priests, Sarah warned that people must “not fall into the trap of the manipulators” who “perpetuate the vocabulary of LGBT ideology.” He continued:

“Homosexuality does not define the identity of persons. It describes certain deviant, sinful, and perverse acts. For these acts, as for other sins, the remedies are known. We must return to Christ, and allow him to convert us. When the fault is public, the penalties provided for by Church law must be applied. Punishment is merciful, an act of charity and fraternal love. . .we must have the courage to clearly apply the norms regarding the acceptance of seminarians. Men whose psychology is deeply and permanently anchored in homosexuality, or who practice duplicity and lying, cannot be accepted as candidates for the priesthood.”

These statements are hardly the cardinal’s first harmful and hyperbolic words against LGBTQ people. Indeed, he has been for several years one of the Church’s harshest voices against the cause of equality. In 2017, he penned a a Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing Fr. James Martin, SJ’s, book on LGBT issues in the church through. At the 2016 U.S. National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, the cardinal said transgender rights are “demonic” and marriage equality is a “poison.” During the 2015 Synod on the Family, Sarah said the LGBT rights movement had “demonic origins” and compared it to Nazism and fascism.Bondings 2.0‘s Francis DeBernardo, who was part of the press corps at the 2015 meeting in Rome, deemed Sarah’s comments the Synod’s “most homophobic remark”.

Sarah’s repeated criticisms of transgender people reveal how uninformed the cardinal is about issues of gender identity and advances in science, psychology, and healthcare which have enabled more trans people to transition. Rather than a “Luciferian refusal to receive a sexual nature from God,” gender-confirming surgery for trans people is precisely about receiving and coming to live as the person God created them to be. To describe this process as rebellion and mutilation is wrong and needlessly disparaging. Pope Francis should quickly reassess whether Cardinal Sarah should be in such a high profile, powerful role at the Vatican when he inflicts such ignorant harm.

How fitting that a top Vatican official makes such hateful comments just before Holy Week. The way of the cross for LGBTQ people never stops being inflicted by the Christian churches. If this Cardinal could meet some of the gay and lesbian people I know, he would have to reconsider his hurtful and ridiculous remarks. He is harming the Body of Christ.

One cannot prevent individuals from holding deeply prejudicial and ignorant views but there is no need to then appoint them to high office. The RC Church must take responsibility for such appointments, and for giving power to those who indulge in uninformed hate-speech.

As usual the hierarchy confuses sexuality with what is between the leg with what is in the mind. It is like people who think love is in the heart. We should send these people back to high school to learn the difference between biology and psychology. How sad.

I’m literally sick to my stomach as I write this. As an aromantic asexual whose gender identity is actually pretty neutral and who also happens to be an Ashkenazi Jew I am especially disturbed by this officials comparison of wanting LGBTQIA civil rights to Nazism and racism.I love the Catholic church and am active in my parish but people like Robert Sarah make me feel unwelcome in a space Christ has said I belong. Today I am tired and this Sunday I do believe I will be skipping mass.

As a Trans Woman and Priest in the independent Catholic movement I am moved to sadness over the division that will grow from Cardinal Sarah’s statement “Gender ideology is a Luciferian refusal to receive a sexual nature from God.” Pope Francis encourages the building of bridges and yet Cardinal Sarah does the opposite: marginalizing people who are LGBTQ. Pushing them yet further away. This reference of Luciferian Gender ideology I fear will encourage people to hate and commit horrific acts against Trans people. Is Cardinal Sarah ignorant of this? Or is he filled with such hate?

But transferring pedophile priest all around the world to protect the church is god like and OK…………I guess. Judging by the amount of luciferian child rape going on in your house. Seems like a great idea to fix that before condemning others.

As someone who is Intersex and Transgender, man cannot contemplate god’s own mind nor god’s will, nor god’s work for good or ill, man can only see what god has wrought and lay their own judgements upon it. Matthew speaks to it well, as does Genesis, that those of us god has made in god’s own image, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator and Destroyer, will garner the envy and jealousies of man and strike out as if a child at the unknown and unkownable. Hatred and bigotry are not Christ’s message, neither is intolerance or greed…..but, here we are. Live the best life you can, help those who you can, lead by example, don’t stand on a street corner thinking anything is owed you by anyone…………….

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